The Night We Met
by Durrr
Summary: "You want to know why I left? They hand picked your future Zuko! It doesn't matter who you love! It doesn't matter who you want to be with! You are the Fire Lord! You can't just marry some water-wench from the Water Tribe!" She leaves. He follows.
1. The Night We Met

**Part One**

Its starting to get dark, but Zuko knows he can reach the next town before night fall. Instead of continuing his trek, he leans against the big oak tree along this dirt path. He pulls his hood down knowing there is no one around nor close enough to recognize him. He reaches underneath his cloak and pulls out a small glass bottle filled with fire whisky. The cork pops out with ease and he takes a sip.

The Mighty Fire Lord running through the Earth Kingdom on a mission. He almost laughs.

The trickling river next to his path is refreshing. It almost soothes his aching heart. If he knows anything about her location, it's that she's got to be close to a body of water.

She must be.

* * *

 _Zuko wakes to the blinding sun crashing in through his windows. He blinks rapidly then shields his eyes from the rays._

" _Go away." His mumble only audible to his own ears._

 _He tries to roll onto his side but finds it too painful to move. Its a strong sensation ripping through his chest._

" _Wha-"_

 _He glances down to see white bandages wrapped around his entire chest._

 _Azula. Katara. Lighting._

" _Oh."_

 _The war seems to blur like an ancient memory. He's not sure who won but he does know where he is. He's lying on a small bed in a small room in the Fire Lord's Palace. It is a simple commoners room used to harbor less important guests of the royal family. It looks quite dusty and Zuko can only assume this room hasn't had an occupant in years._

 _His thoughts take him to the battles. 'Where is everyone? Did Aang defeat my father? Where is Katara? Did she defeat Azula?' Before his mind can continue, someone is opening the door. Zuko's chest tightens and he starts to panic knowing he is in no position to fight back whomever is intruding. His eyes dart around the room searching for a weapon, material, absolutely anything to protect himself with._

 _He releases a long breath of relief when he see's it is only Katara._

 _She gives a small smile. She carries a tray in her hands with a large bowl of water, three bandage rolls, and two small tea cups. She sets the tray down on the wood nightstand next to the bed._

" _How are you feeling?" She asks._

" _I'm fine. Just fine." He tells her as he tries to sit up. He growls lightly when the pain sears through his chest._

 _She gently places her hands on his shoulders and lightly pushes him back against the pillows, keeping him from sitting up._

" _You shouldn't be straining yourself. I've healed what I could but you'll be pretty sore for the next couple of days." She says. Always the mother. He smiles at her as she sits on the edge of the bed._

" _Thank you, Katara."  
_

 _Her smile is the best 'your welcome' he'll ever get. That is until she gives him a small kiss on the cheek. Katara pulls back and almost laughs at his dumbfound expression._

 _And without any extra thought, he reaches for her arm, pulls her to him and kisses her lips._

 _No tongue. Nothing frantic. As simple as a kiss can be, he gives her all she needs to hear._

' _Thank you.'_

* * *

Zuko pushes off of the tree and starts heading towards the rural town. He throws the hood over his head once again. It'd be best if no one knew the Fire Lord was running around the small towns of the Earth Kingdom. Assassination attempts were high enough at the Palace; one could only imagine the craze if people knew he was gallivanting around.

He chuckles to himself. _"Gallivanting around."_

He finds a small inn on the outskirts of the next town. Looks to be a sustaining town housing less than 20 people. A river runs through and it looks like most of the land is occupied by farms.

The inn is just as he presumed, dingy and dark. The bar is empty except for two patrons sitting at opposite ends of the bar simply too focused on their drinks to notice his presence. Good, he likes being invisible.

3 gold coins later he is in a small one bedroom, lying on the bed ready for sleep. The sun is down and the curtains are drawn.

His mind travels back to her.

* * *

" _Why are you leaving?" He can see her stiffen. With her back to him, she puts down the dress she was folding and turns to face him._

 _Weeks have passed since the comet. The war was streaming with loose ends that the gang was trying to tie back together. Zuko, newly crowned Fire Lord, had insisted Katara stay to help him transition between nations. He needed someone he could trust. Someone smart, compassionate, and loyal._

" _I miss them Zuko. I want to see Gran Gran again. I want to see my father." She sounds determined._

 _Zuko slumps his shoulders a smidgen and takes small steps to her. She turns to face him and he pulls her into a tight embrace. She rests her head against his chest and listens closely to his heartbeat._

" _I'll miss you." He whispers it into her hair._

" _I'll miss you too. But I promise, I'll return." She leaves him with a kiss._

* * *

The morning sun is rising over the town. Zuko has already started his journey deeper into the Earth Kingdom. He tracks his steps while he glances at a small map he had purchased off of a street merchant. It didn't cover the entire world, but it was the Earth Kingdom and that's all he needs.

"It's here somewhere" he mutters to himself. There are so many tiny towns throughout the Earth Kingdom. He's hit plenty so far but no sign of her yet. Ba Sing Se, the largest city in the Earth Kingdom, sits 100 miles West of where he stands. Zuko is attempting to stick to the farm towns along the Hayu River.

She needs to be near the water.

* * *

 _It had been a long-fucking-day._

 _Zuko sits in his office after dark, going over mountains of paperwork._

 _It's something he truly loathes, piles and piles of paperwork._

 _'The Rebuilding of Fire School'_

' _Ba Sing Se Trade Agreement'_

' _Construction to Redesign the Home for Women'_

' _Northern Water Tribe Trade Agreement'_

 _'New Guildeles to Join Fire Nation Army'_

 _This list goes on._

 _He did most of this work at night. It was much more relaxing at night. The candles were replaced every single morning for he'd run them down to nothing._

 _A quick knock at the door brought Zuko out of concentration. This Trade Agreement still locked his attention so he didn't look up but uttered a quiet 'come in'._

 _The door opens and he expects his closest Advisor Hou to tell him he needs to get some rest. Usually accompanied by his wise ole uncle. Zuko's mind is still fully involved in this trade agreement._

" _Excuse me All Mighty Fire Lord, I was hoping you wouldn't mind-" she was cut off by his warm pair of lips rushing to her. He was drowning and she held his last breath of air._

 _He pulled way but kept his face close enough to gently lean against her forehead._

" _When did you get here?" He asked breathlessly. She giggled. Agni he missed that sound._

" _I arrived not long ago. I wanted to surprise you." She told him._

" _I missed you so much. Please don't ever leave me again." He tells her before capturing her lips once again._

* * *

Zuko swats away a hoggerbee. His irritation is only growing as the air swelters around him. It's too hot. And coming from a firebender? Too hot.

This is the 20-odd town he's come to. This search has kept him busy for weeks. He needs to return to his throne soon or his advisors will surely have a fit. Uncle has offered to cover his position in place of his absence, telling the advisors and royals that Zuko needed a few weeks break from the past year of overworking.

It's not entirely a lie. He did need a break.

But not due to overworking.

He needs to find her.

* * *

 _The sun is starting to rise, and with it Zuko opens his eyes. He sighs and stretches out his tired body, limbs waking as well. Time to get up._

 _Zuko looks to his left and finds the most beautiful sight. His gorgeous waterbender lying on his bed, under his blankets, asleep and content as can be. She looks stunning even while sleeping._

 _He gives her a quick kiss on the lips to rouse her. She mumbles and turns her head in the other direction, still asleep. He smiles and starts to tickle her sides, effectively making her squirm to consciousness._

" _Hey! Stop that!" She says with a glare._

 _He laughs._

" _Sorry but you have to sneak back to your room before the servants come to wake you."_

 _She sighs in irritation and flops around the bed._

 _It's not ideal having to hide their relationship. Both agreed that the world was a bit too fragile in it's current state to whole heartedly accept a firebender and a waterbender to rule the Fire Nation together. Zuko has to eventually approach the topic with his advisors in hopes of approval. They could always play it off as a unity marriage._

 _It's something neither Katara nor Zuko were quite ready for. Marriage. So keeping their love a secret wasn't so bad as long as they could still be together._

 _Most nights she sneaks to his bedroom through the tunnels under the palace. Sometimes he would come to her room. These tunnels were carved centuries before to protect every royal family from any attack. The tunnels lead to different rooms throughout the palace as well as the surrounding land beyond the palace. One even goes all the way to the ocean._

 _Katara is off of the bed and searching for her scattered clothing around the floor. Zuko watches intently, studying her beautiful curves while very grateful that she's stark naked._

" _You know you could help me find my shirt if you weren't staring at me like a hogmonkey roasting over a fire." She's sure to lay on the attitude._

 _He huffs and jumps off the bed as well. He puts on his simple attire to help her._

* * *

Zuko takes a break under the shades of the wisp trees that grow along the river. A cool breeze kicks in to relieve the afternoon heat. He is quite grateful.

He's looking over letters from the gang from the past few months. Sokka and Suki have written him from the Southern Water Tribe. Sokka, in great detail, tells Zuko that Katara is indeed in contact with them but refuses to give up her location. Sokka has tells Zuko that Katara needs time to herself for once. Zuko understands that-to some degree-but it's still no explanation for her very sudden and silent disappearance. Katara has given every piece of herself over the last couple of years to her friends and people who need her. He can see that eventually she would just like to focus on her own self for once. But why couldn't she just tell him that?

Toph, rather someone who is writting for Toph, informs Zuko that she's received a few letters from Katara. Toph is a bit clueless to what is really going on, but she firmly believes that Katara can handle her own and when she's ready, she'll come back. Zuko's not so sure about that last part.

Aang writes to Zuko as well. He has also been in brief contact with Katara before he left the Western Air Temple to travel the world, bringing peace to every town he lands in. Between Aang's and Katara's letters, she had informed him that if he comes looking for her then she will freeze him in another iceberg and awake him in another hundred years. Aang took her threat seriously and let her have the space she has requested. Regardless of these 'threats', Aang and Sokka still had felt it best to let Zuko handle the situation.

These letters don't do much to help track her location. They're just assumed reasons as to why she felt the need to leave. At least they all know she hasn't been kidnapped. But still, with all this peace and needing space, everyone can accept that answer except Zuko. Everyone can grant her this but him.

And why is that?

Because he's yet to receive one fucking letter.

* * *

The day dwindles down to dusk as Zuko approaches an inn in the next town over. He may have had to run to beat the moon, but he made it.

Traveling by night was great for keeping his identity secret, however stopping to sleep at an inn every few nights was better than sleeping on the ground. Plus, the night time welcomed a whole new animal kingdom that Zuko felt didn't require his presence.

He gave the inn keeper 3 gold coins and was granted a key to another one bedroom. Before he headed up the stairs to his room, he decided he should get something to eat at the inn's dinning area. He passes the stairs to two wooden swinging doors that welcome hungry travelers. Zuko pushes through the doors and sits at the bar. He speaks up to order a bowl of spicy chicken and rice but stops once a quiet conversation stops his blood cold.

"She's here! The war hero herself is here! I saw her at the mango stand just the day before. She was so sweet! I spoke to her about my bending and she says she'd love to teach me some basic moves! She says she can help me learn Momma!"

A woman not five feet away was tell her mother about meeting Katara.

His Katara.

"But we can't tell anyone she's here Mom. Not a soul! She says she likes not being recognized everyone she goes."

He flips around so fast the world starts to spin. Zuko runs to the table the women are sitting at and throws down 10 gold coins.

"Tell me where she is."

The women look up at him. Confusion is written amongst their expressions.

"The waterbender. Tell me where she is." He doesn't care how desperate he sounds.

"I-I'm sorry sir. I cannot just give out her location. I don't know who you are."

"I'm her brothers best friend. I've been trusted to find her location. None of her family knows where she is and they've been searching for months. Please tell me where she lives."

Well, that wasn't all a complete lie. He figured if he pushed her safety then they may give in.

The woman hesitated and her mother pushes her elbow with a warning as she glares at Zuko.

"Please. I need to find her." He tries once more.

"How do we know you're telling the truth? We don't want any harm to come to the girl." The mother speaks up.

He looks around the bar. Thankfully, no one is paying attention to them.

He pulls down his hood for a sold 2 seconds then back up it goes.

The women gasp, _loudly._

"YOU-YOU'RE THE-"

"SHHH! Please do not give my identity away." He pleads with them.

The younger woman nods quietly. Her mother is trying to catch her breath. Both very excited by the confession.

"She lives two blocks west and one north. In a little green home with a blue door."

"Thank you."

He throws down 10 more gold coins and leaves immediately.

* * *

 _The meeting had begun like any other. He and his advisors going over policies, new laws, new treaties, new documents, etc. Same old thing, just a different day._

 _That is until Advisor Lou presented the idea of a future Fire Lady. Zuko perked up immediately._

 _"Fire Lord Zuko, we all believe it is time for you to find a woman to help rule this nation and start producing heirs. The help of a woman could heal the scars caused by this war."_

 _Zuko wanted to mention a certain waterbender to his council, but he needed to actually sit down and speak with her about it first. It's not a conversation they've never visited before, however they're marriage deadline would be presented soon if both ready._

" _I'd like to offer my daughters hand my Lord." Advisor Kuel spoke up._

" _She is simply stunning. I've raised to be the perfect noblewoman. Quiet when needed with the best manners. Her name is Osai. She is here at the palace visiting. Would you like to meet her?"_

 _Before he could answer, more of his council started speaking up, offering off their daughters' to him like they were cattle._

 _Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose when he gets irritated._

 _"Please quiet council. I need to think on this matter before I make any decisions. Let's discuss my upcoming visit to the Ondri Islands please. Hou, I'll need my schedule mapped out before we leave tomorrow morning. Uncle, I'd like you to stay behind and look over matters here with the other advisors. Kieu, please bring every treaty we've been working on with you and that will be all gentlemen."_

* * *

 _He found her a while later, sitting at the turtle duck pond. She looked very concentrated on creating small patters in the water. If she wasn't so trained for war he could have almost surprised her._

 _He sat down next to her and watched._

 _"How was your meeting?" She asks in a whisper. She seems, almost unenthused._

 _"It was stressful. They keep preaching marriage. I need to talk to you about...all of that." He doesn't quite know how to bring up the topic. She stops bending to look at him. She looks sad._

 _"What's wrong?" He asks, his voice going soft._

 _She gives a light shake and widens her eyes._

 _"Oh nothing. Just thinking about my mom." She gives him a reassuring smile._

 _He takes her hands in his. He's never been good with words but finds other ways to be comforting._

 _"So, marriage?" She asks._

 _He nods._

 _"My advisors are really pushing. Is marriage, is all of this," he gestures to the surrounding palace and nation, "what you want?" Sure, Zuko is asking if she is ready to take on ruling a whole nation-but deep down he's wants to know if she wants him._

 _Katara looks down with her finger on her chin, giving him a 'I'm thinking' pose._

 _"Katara, I'm not pressuring you into anything. I just want to know if you see a future here, with me?" That last part comes out in a whisper._

 _She lifts her head slowly, and she looks conflicted._

 _"Zuko, I'll admit it is a loaded question, and I'll need a few days to think it over if that's alright with you? Maybe we can talk about it when you return next week?" She asks, giving him a hint of a smile._

 _He returns the gesture with a nod and a quick kiss to her cheek._

 _She sighs happily and goes to give him a hug. Her arms are tight around him, like she's holding onto him for dear life._

* * *

That was the last day he had seen her. They had spent the evening together and had parted ways in the early hours of the morning before he prepared to board his ship to the Islands.

She left with no indication of where she would be headed and he hadn't heard from her since. All that was left behind was a piece of paper with 3 words scribbled onto it.

 _"I'm not ready."_

He had nearly burned down her bedroom.

* * *

 _He was crushed. He was heartbroken. He was somber. And he was angry._

 _He heads straight for the person whom he knows will help the most._

 _In a sense of urgency he doesn't knock but rather opens the door to his Uncles little office and quite forcefully slams the piece of paper onto the desk._

 _"Did you know?" He asks._

 _Iroh doesn't flinch and answers honestly._

 _"No."_

 _Zuko lets out a cry of anger as the paper crumbles in his fist. He hangs his head in defeat and shakes it back and forth._

 _"Why didn't you tell me right away Uncle? Why?!"_

 _"By the time I found out, you were heading back to the Fire Nation. The messanger hawk would have reached you a mere 15 hours before your ship docked. What good would it have done nephew?"  
_

 _Zuko lets out a strained growl. He placed his hands over his eyes._

 _"I'm sorry about Lady Katara nephew, I am."_

 _Zuko let his hands slide down his face as he let out a pained sigh._

 _"Did-did she say anything to make you think she would leave?" He's afraid of the answer._

 _Iroh takes a moment to think about it._

 _"Well, she did talk to me in the afternoon on the day before your departure."_

 _Zuko's eyes snapped to fully open._

 _"What did you talk about?"_

 _"We discussed the duties of the Fire Lord, a short history lesson of your ancestors that ruled, a brief look into the Fire Lady duties-" Iroh was soon cut off._

 _"Wait, wait, wait a minute. Did she ask you about all of this or is this your everyday tea topics?"_

 _"No nephew, she asked me about all of this. Am I right to assume that these questions were inspired by you discussing marriage with her after that meeting?" Iroh sipped his tea as he put the pieces together._

 _Zuko nodded._

 _"But it doesn't make any sense Uncle! On paper, Katara would make an amazing Fire Lady for so many reasons: she's big hearted; strong willed; can handle her own in any political stand off; kind and nurturing spirit; attends to all the hospitals, lower classes of the city, as well as the schools and growth centers; she loves me enough to put up with me and wants to produce lots and lots of children. This is the Katara I know. This is what will make her a great companion in leading this country. But this," he holds up the note, "this is not Katara. To leave in a flash with little to no explanation nor any information of where she's headed."_

 _"She may be panicked nephew. This seems very irrational. Albeit, well thought out to leave while you were on a trip if she wanted to escape without a trace. Do you know if anything had been troubling her?" Iroh questioned._

 _Zuko shakes his head no._

 _"I need your help Uncle. I need to track her down and find her. I need to know what's going on."_

 _Iroh sensed the desperation in the young mans voice. His eyes shinning with sadness. His body rigid with stress._

 _So Iroh nodded his head yes._

* * *

It's been 6 months.

He's been trying to track her down for 6 months.

He's been using every resource to find any clue or indication or any REAL reason as to why she would leave him for 6 months.

But to find her, he'd search forever.

* * *

He's running. Running to her home. He starts to sprint and he feels like he's moving in slow motion. He can't get there fast enough.

A green house with a blue door comes into view. He keeps running until he is standing in front of the door. He catches his breath as he stops at the top of her porch stairs.

 _What if she doesn't want to see me? What if she's with someone else? What if she doesn't want to come back?_

Before he can think to himself any longer, he hears the door knob turning.

He holds his breath as the blue door swings open.

* * *

 _"I am not the only traveler_  
 _Who has not repaid his debt._  
 _I've been searching for a trail to follow again,_  
 _Take me back to the night we met."  
The Night We Met - Lord Huron_

 ***UPDATED*  
I have updated this chapter. There is now new information to push the plot along***

I've been working on this for the past few months.  
It is a 3 chapter long shot.  
The next chapter will be Katara's POV titled 'Trouble'.  
And as always:  
No reviews neccessary.  
Written for your enjoyment.  
Thank you for reading.

-Durrr


	2. Trouble

**Part Two**

 _-What if she doesn't want to see him? What if she's with someone else? What if she doesn't want to come back?  
_

 _Before he can think to himself any longer, he hears the door knob turning._

 _He holds his breath as the blue door swings open._

* * *

 **6 Months Prior:**

 _Katara made it back to her own quarters in just the nick of time. She leaned against the door with a sigh before someone knocked on it. She jumped but waits a few seconds before she answers._

 _With the twist of the knob, she opened the door to a fellow servant._

 _"Good morning Master Katara. I'd like to inform you that the sun has risen and breakfast will be served soon." He said._

 _Katara smiled at his gentle manner. His smile seemed to stretch as long as these hallways running through the Palace. This young mans name was Oyung and he had been Katara's daily wake up call for the past few months. Such a sweet soul he was. Much younger than she, but still a sweet boy._

 _"Thank you so much Oyung. I'll be there shortly."_

 _Oyung nods his head and retreated to his other duties. Katara closed the door with a quick click and takes a very, very deep breath. Her hand is now shaking as she releases the doorknob. She suddenly feels something. It's throwing her off and she is pretty certain she knows what it is._

 _She pulled water from the basin near her bed. It's a habit to always have water available if it can be. The water circled her hands like gloves, and she placed her hands on her abdomen._

 _There it is just as she thought._

 _Life._

* * *

 **Present Day:**

Katara sits on her new porch in her new home. It's a cute little green house with a beautiful blue front door. The neighbor's kids are running around the small field to her left. The beautiful river flows 50 feet from her front door. It's quite beautiful here.

The town is quiet and the residents are far beyond friendly. Being that it is a small town, it stays quiet here. Katara likes this place the most. It will certainly never replace home nor the Fire Nation, but it's a pleasant change.

This is the 10th town she has resided in. She never stays too long but she may make an exception here.

 _But if I stay too long, they'll surely find me._

* * *

 _The Palace was bustling with people. Everyone was running around, completing tasks for the big day. Katara wanted to help, but she doesn't know a whole lot about these crazy Fire Nation traditions. She knew Iroh and Zuko would be swamped with preparations and probably Aang as well, so she set out to find Sokka, Suki, or Toph._

 _All three were found in the private dining hall. Sokka and Toph were stuffing their faces with all of the extravagant foods while Suki looked on from a distance with disgust._

 _Katara joined her brother's girlfriend._

" _Hey Kat." Suki greets her._

 _Katara gave her a slight hug in return._

" _Ugh, how can you watch this? It's like 'who can gross people out the most' contest." Katara watched her brother and Toph with her nose curled in a distasteful way._

 _Suki giggles. "I normally don't but I don't know where else to go. Everyone here is running around like crazy. I don't want to be in the way."_ _Katara nodded._

" _So, what are you going to do about Zuko? Are you coming back with us to the South Pole?" Suki whispered with her eyebrows high and her head turned towards Katara with her eyes trained on Sokka and Toph. Although Toph knew, Sokka did not._

" _I have no idea what he wants to do. I would love to go home for the first time in years but I also wouldn't mind staying here if he asked. I haven't talked to him about it yet and I probably won't get the chance until next week with all this craziness." Katara gestured to all of the running around still going on around them._

" _Well how about you talk to Zuko and let me know before next week. You know, before our ship leaves." Suki tells Katara quietly._

 _Katara took a deep breath. She slowly nodded to Suki, trying to swallow the anxiety._

* * *

The morning breeze is welcome by Katara's open windows. The empty field allows the absolute best winds to dwindle in. Katara breathes in the scent of the water. It's early and she's up for the day. She stands in her makeshift kitchen, enjoying a glass of tea. Compared to Iroh's tea, this stained water she made doesn't hold a candle. But Katara was never too picky with taste and flavor anyway. She's pretty proud she's at least honing her "skill".

She mindlessly rubs her belly with a sigh. She's big now. Well, not as big as she will be in a few months but she is still getting used to the extra weight. She can still squat down, can still slip on her shoes and is able to bend over like a pro.

 _I wonder what he would think?_

Before she can even start to overthink the situation for the hundredth time, Katara decides it's time to send her family a scroll.

She strolls over to a small table in front of one of her bigger windows. For the past few months, Katara has been very discreet about her letters back to her family. Typically, she sends one once she's ready to move onto the next town, that way if any of them ever tried following the towns messenger hawk, they'd come up empty handed. And with the amount of time it takes to get from the Southern Water Tribe to the outskirts of The Earth Kingdom, she would be long gone by then.

 _Dear Sokka, Suki, Dad and Gran-Gran,_

 _How are you all? I have been doing quite well. I am vacationing in a little town and I am having such a great time. I've seen so much of this world and I'm still surprised to this day of how much left I have to see. I'll be in the Southern Water Tribe within the next year. I cannot wait to see you all._

 _Sokka- Please don't come looking for me. There is a reason I left to be on my own and I would appreciate it if you would respect my decisions and let me to be. I am a master waterbender who taught the Avatar himself, I can protect myself._

 _Dad- Please read what I wrote to Sokka as that goes for you as well. I'm sorry for my extended travels but I need this time to myself._

 _Gran- I love and miss you so much. I can't wait to be back home eating all of your delicious meals. I can't wait to show you everything I have learned over the years._

 _I miss you all so, so much._

 _I love you guys I and I will see you soon._

 _With love,  
_ _Katara._

She sets her quill down. She tries not to think about how they will react to her secret pregnancy.

* * *

 _Katara sat down at the kitchen table with a huff. Gran Gran doesn't have to turn around to ask "What's wrong Katara?"_

 _Katara huffed louder, like a child._

" _A lot of these benders still don't get it Gran. Some of the girls from the North insist on being healers. I've told them so many times that we rid those sexist rules long ago! That we as women can fight, we can bend as we please and we can learn. But they just-ARG!" Katara shouted as she slammed her fists down on the table._

 _Gran Gran chuckles._

 _Katara's eyes snapped to Gran. "Why are you laughing?!" She asked._

" _Katara, what's the real problem here? I can't understand why you would have such a problem with these young ladies doing as they wish, even if they chose to heal rather than fight. You chose to fight, but you of all people should understand that not everyone else will agree with that." Gran Gran offered a smirk._

 _Katara began to retort, but lost all words on the tip of her tongue. Gran's right. Why should she be so against what others wanted to do?_

" _I think this is about what you want. I think it's about you lashing out because they are doing what they want and you are not. I think you are doing what you feel your duty is, instead of listening to your heart and following your path instead."_

 _Katara's mouth fell open, realizing what Gran was getting at.  
_

" _Gran Gran I promise I'm perfectly fine being here in the South with my family. I-"_

 _Gran cut her short with a light slap to the hand with her wooden spatula._

" _Ow! Gran!" Katara protested as she rubbed her hand._

" _Don't you start with me young lady. I know you and even you yourself cannot fool a wise old woman. You've been sulking around here for the past two months. I'm grateful you've come back to visit but I've been wondering everyday when you'd leave again."_

 _Katara felt a bit hurt at this._

" _Not that I want to see you go dear, but I know that your heart does not belong here. Yes, this is where you've grown, this is where you've lived, but this is not where you need to be. You need to be out there, far beyond this frozen land traveling the world, helping people, finding yourself. You are still a young woman Katara. I don't want you wasting your life here because you find it to be your life's only duty."_ _Gran finished and turned to the food she was tending._

 _Katara sat quietly. She mulled on these words, thinking to herself._ _Then she pushed back her chair, jumped up and hugged her Gran._

" _Thank you Gran Gran." She says as she smiles._

" _Your welcome sweetie." Gran pats her cheek._

 _Katara turns to head to her room but is stopped by Gran Grans voice._

" _And if you love that man, be sure to let him know."_

 _Katara leaves on a boat two days later._

* * *

Katara sighs as she sits down in her big, comfy chair on the porch. It's not that she wants to be this secluded all of the time. She misses her friends, her family, her Z-

She thinks back to the Fire Nation, recalling old memories. But when doesn't it go back to him really? She rests her hand on the bump that holds their bastard child.

 _Guilty_. She always feels so guilty. He has no knowledge of this child. It's not as if she can keep it from him forever. Bottom line, they are and always will be friends. They will meet again someday, but who knows what will have happened by then. Maybe when he finds out he'll never want to speak to her again. Maybe he'll want nothing to do with her after he finds that she fled and hid the identify of their pretend perfect family.

Katara hasn't necessarily figured out what to do when that time comes. She just knows she cannot let this ruin his life.

* * *

 _The sun slipped below the horizon and the night sky is free. Stars as far as the eye can see twinkle in the darkness._

 _The Fire Lord's quarters are quiet after a long day of work. Zuko has told the guards outside of his bedroom doors that no one is to disrupt him unless it is an absolute emergency. Candles were lit throughout his bedroom and in the washroom._

 _Yes, in the washroom where he was definitely not alone._

 _Katara swirled the water around in small circles while Zuko kept the water temperature nice and warm for the both of them. There were candles lining the wall across from the tub and the open window brought in a lovely breeze._

 _Everything was perfect._

" _How was your day?" Katara asked._

" _Mmmmmm exhausting. But it is much better now." Zuko replied as he laid a kiss to her temple._

" _I'm glad I could be of assistance." She smiled at him. He's sure his heart is melting._

 _Katara, being the generous soul she is, sat up, requested Zuko to turn his back to her, and began to massage the knots in his shoulders._

 _He released a groan of gratitude._

 _"How were your meetings today?" She continued._

" _The council started in again on marriage." He answered. This topic seems to circulate their conversations every so often, but as of late it's been brought up more frequent._

" _And?" She asks, a bit nervous to say the least._

" _Their suggestions are their eldest daughters or Mai."_

 _Katara's hands drop to the water. She knows what that means. They only want a Fire Nation girl._

 _Zuko twists around in the tub and he grabs her hand softly. With his other, he tilts her chin up so her eyes can meet his._

" _Katara, I don't want any of them. I want you."_

 _She smiles but he sees the sadness._

" _Zuko, They don't want a water tribe peasant as their second in command. What would ever change their minds and thousands of years of tradition?" Katara questioned._

"If _I say so?" Sure, it sounded childish._

" _Zuko that's not good enough to them and you know it! You may be the Fire Lord, but without your council you are just a man. They help you. They take part in ruling this nation. They have a say in everything you do. They won't accept a woman who is not fire nation as their Fire Lady."_

 _Zuko scowls at this. He dropped her hand and turned his head away from her._

" _Do you even want to marry me?" He asks._

 _She furrowed her eyebrows and closed her eyes. She shook her head in momentary anger._

" _OF COURSE I DO YOU-YOU OAF!" She half shouts._

" _Then you have to trust me!" His gaze returned to hers. She is pinned by the intensity._

 _"I have been researching all possibilities. I've thought about bringing this up as a peace marriage between the Water Tribes and the Fire Nation. I am doing everything I can so that when I present this idea, the ONLY answer they can give me is marrying you." His breath comes out ragged._ " _I love you Katara. I wish they would just accept that I want to marry the woman I love."_

 _But it's not that simple._ _It will never be that simple._

* * *

The sunset colors stream across the sky as nighttime approaches. Katara leans onto her windowsill. The full moon will appear tonight and Katara cannot wait any longer. She already feels restless. She glances out to the river where she'll be waterbending once the moon arrives.

Katara turns around and heads towards the kitchen. She has started cutting up vegetables a stew tonight.

 _Huh, just like old times._

She's finished with the carrots and potatoes. Now it's time to cut up the meat.

 _Heh. This would never be enough meat for Sokka. That damn boy lives off of meat._

She slices up the middle and then into smaller chunks. Once finished with her preparations, she puts everything together in the broth.

Then out of nowhere, she bites back a sob. She pushes her knife away and rests her elbows onto the counter top. As tears start falling from her eyes, she doesn't move to wipe them away.

"This is my life. I'm carrying the Fire Lords bastard child to be raised alone." She sobs to herself. Keeping it together 90% of the time is a little tricky when your hormones are raging.

It's never been about her, but for her child and for the father absent against his knowledge.

* * *

 _Katara left her room. She was feeling a mix between excited, nervous, sick, and the list goes on. She and Zuko were going to be parents! And she can't even tell him yet. He mentioned his schedule before she had left his bedroom this morning. He has meetings all-day-long and then leaves tomorrow morning for the Ondri Islands._

 _'How will the council take this? They've presented every noblewoman under the sun. I'll be the water wench that slept her way to the throne.' Katara ponders with a defeated sigh. Before she gets too sad, she pushes the idea away for now._

' _Hmm, wonder if Iroh is free? I'm sure he doesn't have to sit in on every meeting. Maybe he'll be at breakfast. I can talk to him about it. I can trust him plus he knows everything about—' Katara stops mid thought as she almost ran into one of the many noblewomen currently staying at the Palace._

" _Oh I'm sorry dear. I must pay attention to where I am going." The woman says to her. Katara takes a good look at this woman. She is simply gorgeous. Her complexion is flawless, her eyes are a lucious dark gold and her figure is slimming but not stick thin. More so lean and slighly muscular. Maybe she trains? Katara shakes her head as she smiles._ _"Oh no don't apologize. Silly me, I wasn't paying attention one bit. Hi, I am Katara." She bows at the waist out of respect._

" _Katara? The Master Waterbender Katara? War Hero Katara?" The noblewoman ask, eyes wide. Katara nods her head._

 _The woman immediately drops to the floor, her head resting on the cool tile. Katara takes a step back, completely thrown off guard. Her eyes darting around the corridor, feeling slightly embarrassed._

" _Master Waterbender Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am grateful for your sacrifice to this world and your bravery for saving it. It is a great honor meeting you here today." She stays on the floor for a long while before Katara clears her throat._

" _Oh please, please don't bow to me. It's completely unnecessary although I appreciate your kind words." The woman rises quickly. She then bows at the waist as Katara did._

" _My name is Juy. I am the daughter of Advisor Hungu." She said with another smile._

" _Well it is a pleasure to meet you Juy." Katara replied before stepping away. Before she can get too far, Juy stops her._

" _I apologize for being so forward, but would you like to have a cup of tea with me?" Juy asks in such a polite manner. Katara nods in excitement._

* * *

' _Wow, I never thought I'd meet a Noblewoman I'd actually get along with and like.' Katara thought to herself as she moves to grab the tea pot between them. Juy grabs it just before Katara touches it._

" _Oh no Miss, please let me pour your tea. What use would I be if I cannot serve you?" She asks. Katara knows its rhetorical and stops herself from frowning. It's a shame that this is how these women are taught to behave._

 _Katara disregards her thoughts and thanks Juy instead._

" _So Katara, what brings you to the Palace?" Juy asks, starting the conversation._

 _Katara takes a sip of her tea before setting down the fine china._ _"I am here as an ambassador from the South. I'm here to ease treaties between the Water Tribes and the Fire Nation." She lies through here teeth. Well, it is not entirely a lie. It is part of her job here however, the man that rules this nation is a much more realistic reason as to why she stays in this Nation._

" _What about you dear? What brings you to the Palace today?"_

 _Juy blushes._

" _Well you see, I'm here to meet my soon-to-be husband. Well, that is if everything goes accordingly. My father tells me I'll be the luckiest girl in the whole world." Her eyes light up with every word. Katara giggles._

" _Oh? And who must this man be to make you the luckiest girl in the world? Certainly he is the lucky one to have you. Such a beautiful woman with a kind heart."_

 _Juy blushes even harder. Her cheeks are now painted red._

" _Well, he is certainly an attractive fellow. You see, it's Fire Lord Zuko."_

 _Katara chokes on her tea._

* * *

After dinner, Katara sits outside on her front porch. The towns folk are packing up their shops and the families are going home for the evening. The moon is high in the sky and the animals outside are alive and chatting. The cool night keeps her comfortable.

Katara thinks back to that day more often than she should. It still breaks her heart. She wonders if she even made the right decision, running away like she did. But who was she kidding? No advisor who was used to ruling under Ozai's iron fist would ever allow a water tribe peasant to take the Fire Lady's crown. _ESPECIALLY_ not a water tribe whore who conceived the Fire Lord's child out of wedlock. Good gracious can you imagine what they'd think?

 _"She seduced him to rule our nation!"_

 _"She'll run this place into the ground!"_

 _"We will never accept a waterbender!"_

 _"Have the lord marry an acceptable woman!"_

 _"Keep the wench in hiding!"_

Sure, Katara was thinking the absolute worst, but she has met these men before. They berate her, they belittle her, they act above her. Why? She is a woman. She is powerful. She is not of their kind. How could they, as well as an entire nation, accept her as a suitable wife for their ruler? There are laws and traditions against this. The Fire Lady cannot be some scum from an iceberg in the South.

Katara was quite harsh on herself. Too harsh really. But she needs to remind herself of why she did this, of why this is all necessary.

* * *

She pulls some letters from the top drawer in her desk. She has quite a few stored away. Whenever Katara is feeling a bit lonely or homesick, she re-reads the letters from her friends. The first is from Aang. She was able to reach him before he left to travel the world.

 _Katara,_

 _I must say, I'm surprised by your sudden change of mind. What must have spooked you in the Fire Nation? Did Zuko do anything?! You tell me if he did and I'll have a few words with him myself._

She smiles to herself. Aang acting tough is hilarious.

 _I do understand that you need time to yourself. I promise I won't come looking for you but if anyone asks about you, I will not lie Katara. Please stay safe and let me know if you ever need any help. I'll be leaving the Wester Air Temple in a few days to get a head start to the Northern Water Tribe. Sokka and Hakoda are going to meet me there to go over sister-tribe negotiations._

 _Stay safe Katara._

 _-Aang_

Katara swapped to the next one from Toph.

 _Hey Sugar queen,_

 _Obviously I have someone writing this for me. Ya know, because I can't see. Unless you want me to send you a letter with a bunch of scribbled lines on it? Any way, why are you on the run? If I were there I bet I could guess within 10 seconds! Did Zuko do something? 'Cause if he did that would be hilarious because you clearly would have frozen him within a huge block of ice by now. If you're gonna be running around the Earth Kingdom, come by and say hello. Maybe you can tell me more about why you left your hunky sparky Fire Lord._

 _And if I hear you got into trouble, I'm gonna kick your ass Katara._

Katara laughs out loud at that last part. She loves Toph and her whole 'blunt yet comedic'' attitude. She misses them. She misses all of them. And she misses him the most.

She pulls out another stack of letters. They are all addressed to him. Some she's written all the way through and others she hasn't even gotten past 'Dear Zuko'.

All started but never sent. It's too hard. How to is she ever going to explain this entire situation in a letter? How?

* * *

 _After conversing with Juy for a while longer, Katara discovered that most, if not all, of Zuko's advisors brought their daughters to the Palace as suitors for the Fire Lord. They were prepared to offer up their daughters for marriage to their ruler. Just the thought completely irked Katara. Noblewomen were perfect candidates for the future Fire Lady. Quiet when needed and a gorgeous companion for breeding future rulers. And from the sounds of it, most advisors' daughters either cannot bend or can complete very basic firebending moves and nothing more as their skill is less bending, more socializing. These women have been trained their whole lives to act like perfect little dolls. I bet they have schools for this! Katara was the complete opposite of all that. She was loud, adventurous, stubborn and different._

 _Katara felt the tears gathering at the corner of her eyes. She doesn't belong here. They don't belong together. Their advisors want Fire Nation blood to keep this Palace standing. And they both know that he can only do so much change to this damaged country with their support. His advisors run through all of his decisions. Some he wins, some he loses and she was definitely a loss._

 _Katara started a whirlwind through her head. She wasn't thinking straight and her brain swirled with negativity. She couldn't pull it together. She finds herself in the family garden, the one Zuko likes the most. She nearly collapses by the pond where all of the turtleducks are quacking away. After a few moments she sits up to watch the fuzzy little creatures._

 _"I need to find Iroh."_

* * *

 _"Ahh, Lady Katara! How lovely of you to join me for my afternoon tea. It certainly helps me take my afternoon nap." Iroh rubs his round belly with a laugh._

 _"Please come sit." He motions for her to sit across from his tea tray on the ground. Her butt hits the soft and fluffy cushion._

 _Katara musters up a smile and holds back every single emotion other than happy that she can. She has questions for Iroh but he must not catch on. He cannot know. If he knows, Zuko is not far behind and she must figure everything out herself before anyone else does._

 _"How has your day been Uncle?" She asks before reaching for her cup and lifting it to her lips._

 _"Quite boring Miss Katara. That is until now." He says with a smile._ _"How is your day?"_

 _She smiles the nervous-ness away. "It's great so far! I've been going through tons of scrolls from the library." Whenever Katara finds a bit of down time with her busy schedule of aiding, she's most likely to be found in the library reading up on her romance scrolls with a side of world history. Well, world history according to the Fire Nation._

 _"Oh excellent my dear! Did you find anything good?"_

 _Katara shrugs. "I really enjoyed the history scrolls. Especially when I get a bit tired of all the romance ones. I was reading about Omashu, Ba Sing Se, the Northern Water Tribe, and the Fire Nation."_

 _"Ahhh. I'm glad you enjoy reading up on such subjects. Ba Sing Se has such a peculiar history, especially if you go back another century. Their laws were, even for that time, quite outrageous. Did you find anything interesting about the Water Tribes?" His lips meet a cup of Jasmine tea as his eyes glance downward towards said tea. Katara has to play it cool. He cannot suspect a thing._

 _"Yes! I read so much more about the Norther Water Tribes traditions and they differ so much from those of the South. Arranged marriages are still a prominent staple to them. And the bride has no choice in the matter. It's more common for the males family to approach a woman's family to form a contract. Crazy. I also gathered some knowledge about the line of Royalty and how the first ever Chief was decided and so forth." Easy Katara. Nice and easy. "How did the first ever Fire Lord become a ruler? How did the Fire Nation agree on an establishment?" Katara peeks at Iroh with curiosity. Nothing but curiosity._

 _Iroh strokes his beard and tilts his head to his right. He is recalling information._

 _"What an excellent question Lady Katara. I must warn you, my memory can at times be fuzzy when it comes to ancient Fire Nation history. I know that is has been ancient years since the first Fire Lord was decided. When the Fire Nation consisted of possibly a few hundred people, a few men formed a comity which is now what we know of as the Fire Lord's Council. This group of men would paint posters, speak of order, attract the attention of people who wanted control. They made rules for which the people obeyed. Sure there were uprisings, but what ruler has not? Eventually the towns people requested to have someone from their stature help establish a rule." Iroh pauses to take a long sip of his tea. "They elected the towns best candidates based on strength, popularity, etc. Once elected, this individual would assist the council and play a major role in deciding what was best for his people. He was their voice. Once in position, it was strongly encouraged by the towns people that he get married and start making children to continue his legacy and since then it's been pretty locked in from family to family." Iroh clasped his hands together atop his round belly with a smile gracing his lips._

 _Despite the situation, Katara truly enjoyed learning from such a wise elder._

 _"And when did the Fire Lady title come into play?" Katara asked._

 _Iroh clapped his hands together with joy. "Oh the Fire Lady really didn't get her title until many, many years after our first Fire Lord was establish. I believe it was fourteen generations later." Katara resisted the frown from spreading to her lips. Iroh continued. "Even back then, the Fire Lady had not nearly as much power as the current position has. The wife of the Fire Lord was there to produce heirs. But now the Fire Lady does so much more." Iroh smiles to her._

 _Katara choses her next words very, very carefully._

 _"Before the war, do you know if the Fire Nation had arranged a marriage between any of the other nations such as the other nations do? Was there ever a non-Fire Nation native ruling family?" Katara holds her breath. He may not even know the answer but she can only hope._

 _Iroh pauses and holds his fingers to his chin, making a common thinking pose. He plays with the wisps of hair from his beard._

 _"Not that I can recall Miss Katara. From as far as I can remember, I believe every Fire Nation ruling family has been of Fire Nation decent." He responds._

 _Her heart sinks to her knees._

 _"I really must double check that." Iroh looks to her with a warm smile. "Why Katara, your tea has gone cold. Would you like some more?"_

* * *

 _After a solid 15 hours of lose planning and extreme panic, Katara collects all of her clothes, stuffs them into a satchel, throws it over her shoulder and sneaks down to the tunnels beneath the Palace. Certainly a guard would alert Uncle if she just waltzed out the front gates with all of her belongings._

 _She needs to get far away and quickly. She doesn't mind completely turning her life around. She would have to live with her choices weather that made her an unfit wife or not. She would soon be carrying around the evidence of her choices but if she can help it, she won't let it ruin his reign. His coronation had been almost a year before and the world was still in a shaky place so she cannot risk screwing things up._

 _Not for him.  
_

 _She will love him from afar until her last breath and if this is the only way to save his future then she will do it._

 _Anything for him._

 _And with all evidence gone from the room, as if no one ever resided inside, she leaves but one scrap of paper with three little words that spell out the perfectly, painful lie._

 _"I'm not ready."_

* * *

Katara wipes another tear from her cheek. She misses him more than words can express. She likes to imagine what her life would be if things were to work out between them. Some days it hurts too much to think about. Other days she likes to play pretend.

She stands in her under wraps in her bedroom. It's nearly midnight and the moon is full tonight. She can't wait to get into the river. The water relieves her aching feet and legs. She's not quite sure if this child will bend fire or water, but she definitely hopes for the latter.

Katara grabs her nightgown to walk down to the water and heads for the front door.

She twists the door knob, pulls open the door, and is met with a shadowed figure.

Blue meets gold.

She can't breathe.

* * *

 _'Just love me, love me, love me, love me when the lights go down.  
_ _And hold me, hold me, hold me 'til it's dark.  
And maybe you can make me forgive myself._  
 _And leave me, leave me, leave me when it's done.'_

 _Trouble (Acoustic) - R3hab, VERITE_

Thank you all for the astonishing reviews.  
I really didn't expect any.  
 ***For anyone who wants to point out holes between my story and the show, my apologies. It's been years since I've watched it and I tend to make my stories loosely based off of the show, not an exact script-by-script recreation***  
I really focused on plot and what was important for the story through Katara's POV.  
This chapter is MUCH longer because truthfully it is much more important.  
And if you hated that cliffhanger on the first chapter-boy are you gonna hate me for this one.  
Next chapter: LOTS OF DIALOGUE and of course a conclusion.

As always:  
No reviews necessary.  
Just for your enjoyment.  
-Durr


	3. Where's My Love

**A/N:** If you haven't already, please re-read chapters 1 and 2.  
A few weeks back I added a few elements/paragraphs to make this story much better.  
Thanks! Now enjoy the update!

* * *

 **Part Three**

' _Breathe. Breathe. Breathe, Katara. You have to start breathing'_ She hears Gran's voice in her head calming her down.

' _In and out. In and out. Focus on your breath Zuko.'_ Iroh's voice is so clear he swears the old man is standing right behind him.

But no. It is just the two of them that stand on each side of the threshold.

His eyes stay on hers, daring not to blink away what might be an illusion before him. Her gaze is drilling into him as she tries to comprehend what stands before her.

Then she realizes that Zuko has yet to notice to obvious bulge in her nightgown.

"Katara-" he is the first to speak. His brain almost functioning at a normal speed, finally signals the eyes to blink and linger over her figure. They nearly pop out of his skull once he sees the bump.

She's not sure what to do, what to say, even what to think. What will he say about the child? Should she lie? That will surely make him leave.

"You-you're-is that-" He can't spit out a complete thought. His eyes stay wide as he shakes his head back and forth.

' _Is that—mine?'_

And just like that, her head nods against her will, understanding exactly what he is thinking. She wants to lie, to hide this truth until the day she dies but things are a lot easier said than done. She wants to protect him from the humility and the scandal that will await his arrival back in the Fire Nation. She's already gotten it into her head that she can handle this child on her own. But all of that went out the fucking window once she saw him in the flesh, standing just a few feet within her grasp.

A smile graces his face as she can feel her tears dripping down her cheeks. She's not quite sure who moved first but they are finally touching each other in an almost death grip hug. Her arms reach around his back and onto his shoulders. His arms are tightened around her waist and upper back. She is sobbing now but it doesn't matter because he's holding the pieces of her together so she won't crumble. He brings his hand up to stroke her hair while he whispers in her ear.

"It's all okay. I'm here. I'm finally here."

His words calm down her tears but they don't do a thing to calm the ice in her heart. She knows what she has to do. She pulls back and they break the embrace. Their hands are now intertwined. She looks back to his eyes and it looks like he may have been crying. Her heart aches at the sight.

"Katara, we need to-" she cuts him off before he can even start talking about this stuff.

"Come in first. Let me make us some tea." She pulls her hands out of his rather quickly and turns around to head back into the house. He follows, like always.

He shuts the door behind him and she pulls out a kettle. Katara is busying herself in the kitchen while Zuko looks around the front room. He feels safe and feels some reminisce of home. He can't figure out if its because she's here or because she really knows how to make one feel at home.

The tea is ready within minutes and she serves him a cup. He thanks her and takes a sip.

Before she can turn her back to him, he grasps her wrist lightly and pulls her into an embrace. She's stiff, not allowing herself to fully relax.

"Katara, we need to figure this out." He mumbles into her hair as he places a chaste kiss to her temple. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She feels him pull back, just a little, to rest his hands on the bump between them. Her heart breaks.

Then she whispers, "I can't go back with you."

And then time stops. A heavy, heavy weight sinks her heart low into her stomach and she can't stand the silence. Zuko doesn't move. She doesn't even think he is breathing. His eyes are shut and his body is rigid and stiff. Five seconds pass and it feels like an eternity.

Zuko's mind rewinds. It goes back to all those mornings he was late to his meetings because she convinced him to stay in bed with her a little longer. It goes back to their first date and how he made such a damn fool of himself. It goes back to the star shaped scar on his chest and how and why he has it.

"Zuko?" She asks quietly.

He takes a few steps back and turns his back to her. She feels the heat radiating off of his body. His brain goes into overdrive and he can feel everything. He's hurt, angry, sad, upset, broken, devastated, etc. He pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a few very deep breaths to calm himself.

She knows it. She can feel his anger.

"Why?" He whispers. She swears he's restraining from losing it.

"I just can't."

"Tell me why. I deserve an explanation at least."

She didn't miss those last two words.

"Excuse me?"

He spins on his heel in a second. "You know damn well what that meant Katara! You've been hiding for months! Were you never going to tell me that you are carrying my child? Were you going to keep me in the dark forever? Don't forget that I came looking for you." Well, the lovely reunion didn't last long.

She shuts her eyes, refusing to let any angry tears slip through. She knows she should be sorry. She broke his fucking heart but that doesn't mean she wasn't broken as well.

"I can't be your queen Zuko. I don't belong in the Fire Nation. I'm not a ruler."

"Bullshit Katara. You were so adamant on becoming my wife months ago. What changed? What happened? Why are you lying to me?" He's so angry. Angry at the situation, angry at her, angry at himself for getting so upset, angry that she's been hiding in the middle of fucking nowhere with his child and he had no clue.

He's pacing back and forth in front of her. He's trying everything he can to not burst into a roar of flames right now. And then he stops, his finger tapping his chin. He looks to her with a puzzle of an expression with one eyebrow raised.

"When did you find out you were pregnant? Was it before you left or after?"

 _Fuck._

She closes her eyes tightly, wishing to every spirit on the other side to take her away. To make her disappear.

Her eyes are clamped shut as she says "before."

His bubble of anger is ready to burst. She's thankful he's not screaming or the whole town would be knocking down her door. She peaks her eyelids open as the heat dies down and finds him plopped on the floor, very un-Lord-like, with his fingers clutching his head like he's trying to keep it all from breaking apart. His back is upright and rigid. He looks quite uncomfortable. And just like that, he deflates. His head drops down, spilling into his hands. His back caves outward and he slouches closer to the floor. He loses his grip and her heart is still broken.

"You-you left once you found out didn't you? You think it's going to ruin my reign."

She sighs and she steps towards him. She wants to join him on the floor but that seems impossible with the big ole belly in the way.

"Zuko please try to understand. Our world is so still so fragile. Ozai still has supporters, the North still can't give you their full trust and the Earth Kingdom is one bad day away from an economical downfall. If we add a foreign Fire Lady with the bastard heir to the mix, I fear the worlds reaction won't be so pleasant. The Earth Kingdom would probably be in an uproar that one of their royals were not chosen. The North would think you are favoring the South. And the Fire Nation would burst into flames."

She wants to reach out to him, she really wants to grab his hand and hold it to her chest as she heals him, but it's far too late for that now. Zuko looks up to her face. He lifts himself off of the ground and moves closer to her.

"Come back with me. Be my queen. We've saved the world Katara so this should be a piece of cake. Just, please come back to me." Desperation rings in his words. It's not hard to miss.

She's shaking her head no as her eyes go to the floor. She can't do this without breaking.

"Zuko please. Your council will never allow this. Your people will never allow this. There will be rebellion groups calling for my head. There will be assassination attempts on our lives, on our child's life-"

"I will protect the both of you with my life. Have I failed before?"

She cries. Her tears come down hard and then she shoves him away from her, hard.

"Why can't you just leave already?! I told you I can't rule by your side! What makes you think I'll just change my mind? I've been alone for months Zuko. I've got a pretty good idea on how I will raise this child in secret. You'll go marry a noblewoman like Juy or Mai or-"

"-how do you know about Juy?"

 _Shit._

Her mouth is agape but no words come out. She looks frozen, paused in her sentence as her brain scrambles for a white lie. But nothing comes.

He points his finger at her aggressively using his whole arm in the motion.

"What do you know Katara? What are you not telling me? You can lie circles around everyone else all you want but you keep that shit off the table with me. Be honest with me as I've always been with you."

Katara blinks, mouth still open like a gasping fish out of water.

 _Fuck._

Then she stands up straight, looks him in the eye and says, "I don't owe you an explanation. I don't owe you a damn thing."

He moves so fast she almost misses it. He has her back against the closest wall with her wrists in his hands. His grip is not strong and she can get out of his hold in a second. But the sudden change of position has taken the air from her lungs.

He leans in close to her ear to whisper, "When you decided to runaway with the secret of our child and a lie of an explanation, I think I deserve just a shred of honesty. You ripped my fucking heart out Katara. Don't give me anymore bullshit."

She shoves him off of her. Her eyes snap to his because now it's her turn to be fucking angry.

"Don't you dare give me that! Don't you dare lecture me on your broken heart! I may have lied and left, but that doesn't mean I was okay. That doesn't mean I wasn't broken too. So don't come to me and cry about your broken heart!"

"You left me Katara! You didn't tell anyone where you'd be. You wrote to Sokka, Toph, even Aang but you couldn't write me? I thought at the least we were friends Katara. You give the others pages and paragraphs but you left me with three words."

She shakes her head and moves towards her desk. She rips open the top drawer, grabs all of her unsent letters and throws them at him.

"I wrote you hundreds of letters! Thousands of words and I still couldn't figure out what to tell you! What did you expect me to say to the father of my child, the love of my life, the soon-to-be-wed Fire Lord? What did you expect to read? How am I supposed to formulate a sentence without hurting you even more?!" She's taking deep breaths now as she holds her head high. "I didn't ask you to come looking for me. Everything I've done is to protect you!"

"By hiding? By lying? By stashing away in a small town while you're pregnant with OUR child?!" He counters back, still angry as ever. Their standing closer now, almost touching chest to chest through this screaming match.

"I met your future wife two minutes after I found out I was pregnant!" She screams. He takes a step back as his defense starts to fall. She waits until her breath evens out to continue. "They hand picked your future Zuko. They brought all those candidates to the palace for you like you were picking out a new carpet! As long as your council is involved, it doesn't matter who you want to be with. They play a big role in your decision making when it comes to their country. And when it comes to their Fire Lady, they are going to want the best. They're not going to allow you to wed some water wench from the south just because you love her. You are the Fire Lord! You have responsibilities, traditions to uphold, and an entire nation to please." Her tears dribble down her cheek. Pain comes over her belly so she leans her back against the wall and rubs circles over her stomach.

Silence falls between the two but the tension is still thick. She speaks again.

"I'm sorry I kept this all a secret Zuko, I really didn't want it to be like this. I am sorry you had to find out this way, but you have to understand. If keeping this secret means that the rest of your reign will be peaceful and your council, your people and the world will be happy then I'll stay in hiding for the rest of my days."

Zuko approaches her carefully as she continues to rub circles on her stomach. He pushes her hand aside, replacing it with his own hands while emanating heat. She moans in appreciation.

He moves closer, their foreheads barely touching.

"I understand Katara, I do. And I deeply appreciate you looking out for me and my future. But _you_ need to hear me out before you go on putting yourself down, rambling about what is best for me and my country." She wants to argue but she's feeling a bit drained right now. So she lets him continue without a word.

"When I came back from Ondri and found your note, I completely lost my mind. I couldn't figure out what I did wrong and I blamed myself for weeks. My council practically forced me to court the women they sent. I held tea parties and outings upon Uncle's request. Faking my interest was so hard Katara. I constantly compared them all to you and none of them even came close." He brings his fingers to cup her cheek. She leans into his touch. "I sent all of those women away. I only want you Katara. I've met with my council many, many times and after dozens of meetings, I've convinced them that you are the only option for me."

"But—" she starts.

"Ah, ah, ah. No buts. Just listen. A Fire Nation wife is ideal for them, but if I wed someone from my own nation then that won't signify anything we fought for. An Earth Kingdom wife would be too risky because it would give King Kuei too much access to our nations inner workings. But a wife from the Water Tribes would be an excellent choice because it represents unity between the utmost opposing nations and traditions."

Katara tries to speak up again but he silences her with a quick kiss to the lips. She's stunned once he pulls away.

"We fought together to end a hundred-year war. We've all worked together to bring the world peace and I think changing up a few Fire Nation traditions will do our future some good. I've also argued that a marriage for love will be far stronger than a marriage for convenience. Most of my council seems to agree. They think the public will get a kick out of a Fire Lord and Lady romance."

Katara is stunned into silence.

"How can you be so certain everything will work out Zuko? How can you promise me a safe future for our child?"

"I can't. I don't know what will happen but I can promise you this: I will be there by your side, as your equal, every single step of the way. I will do everything I absolutely can to protect you and this child." He lifts her hand to his chest, right where his scar resides. "If I have to take another bolt of lighting to protect you and our family, I'll do it over and over until my dying breath."

She has no arguments left. Absolutely no excuses now. He wants her and only her to be his wife. She can do this. They can do this together. She doesn't realize she's crying again until he is gently wiping the tears from her cheeks. She starts to laugh.

"Damn hormones."

He smiles as he brings her hand to his lips. He kisses her fingers in the most heart warming way.

"What do you say Katara? Will you come back home with me and rule by my side? Be my Queen for the rest of our lives?" She's so lost in his eyes that she doesn't notice him reaching into his pocket. He brings a beautiful pendant into her view. She gasps.

"—Is that-is that a-" she can barely finish her question.

He nods. "It's a betrothal necklace."

Between his hands rests a beautiful pendant hanging from a black ribbon. The pendant itself is a deep purple that is smooth to the touch. Carved into the middle of pendant is waves of fire with swirls representing water along the outer edges. It shines even in the low light of her home.

"Did you carve this?" She asks, grasping it gently in her hands.

"Of course I did. And quite some time ago." He kisses her forehead.

"I thought the Fire Nation had different traditions for proposals?" She tears her eyes away from the jewel to look at him.

He shrugs. "They do, but I wanted to do this for you. I'm not looking to change your traditions or heritage."

Her smile is so big that it reaches her eyes. "This is technically an outdated tradition, but I absolutely love it so, so much. Thank you." She moves to turn around while unclasping her mother's from around her neck. He takes the new necklace from her and fastens it around her neck. Then he takes her mothers and ties it around her wrist.

She turns to face him and places her hands on his face to cup his cheeks.

"Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, teacher to the Avatar, mother of my child, will you be my Fire Lady?" He whispers to her, his breath on her lips.

She smiles and nods eagerly.

He pulls her closer and crushes his lips to hers. She tightens her grip around the back of his neck and keeps him as close as humanly possible.

 _This, this is what home must feel like._

* * *

 _"Did you run away, did you run away  
I don't need to know.  
If you ran away, if you ran away  
Come back home.  
_ _Just come home."_

 _'Where's My Love [Alternative Version] - SYML_

Hey everyone! I'm so happy to be updating this! I've been writing it here & there for months and I've finally gotten to a place where I am happy with it.  
They used to tell us in screenwriting, 'If writing dialogue is easy then you're doing it wrong.'  
That is very true for me. Dialogue is so freakin' important.

I hope you enjoyed this. I'll most definitely do a very short fluffy epilogue.

As always:  
No reviews necessary.  
Just for your enjoyment.

-Durr


	4. I Found Love

Katara sits in front of her vanity gently brushing her dark brown hair down over and over again. She has done so every night for the past fifteen years. Same vanity, same brush. She pauses to admire the different wrinkles that crowd her eyes and cheeks. Age is something she has never feared, but rather admired. Her culture celebrates long years living in this world and she was simply raised to believe she is lucky enough to be old enough to get wrinkles.

She sets her brush down and fastens her most prized necklace to her throat. It shimmers in the low lights of her bedroom. She smiles as she touches it fondly, recalling the joy it's brought her.

" _Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, teacher to the Avatar, mother of my child, will you be my Fire Lady?" He whispers to her, his breath on her lips._

 _She smiles and nods eagerly._

 _He pulls her closer and crushes his lips to hers._

"What are you blushing about over there?" His voice interrupts her daydream. She shakes her head and opens her eyes.

"Just reflecting is all." She replies.

"-is that a mirror pun?" She outright laughs at him. "Because that will push you right past Sokka in the biggest dork contest."

She turns, grabs a pillow from the floor and throws it in his direction. He deflects it with ease and a smile.

"How were the kids?" Katara asks, getting up from her cushion and walking towards him. Zuko begins pulling off his royal robes to change into a light pair of sleeping pants.

"Not too bad. Lu Ten kept interrupting my story and Ursa kept crying about it." Katara smiled with a light eye roll. "Iroh fell asleep instantly and Kya was reading over her romance scrolls when I left."

"Thank you for putting them to bed tonight. They missed you this week." Katara pulls down her outer robe leaving her in one of her husbands oversized training shirts. It trails down to her thighs and hugs her chest.

She feels his arms circle around her waist, the warmth emitting from his fingers feeling spectacular. His lips find her neck and he gently kisses her.

"Seems like someone else missed me more." He whispers against her skin. Katara sighs and lets her head fall to his shoulder.

"Of course I missed you darling. It's been so cold and lonely without you in our bed." She smiles to his kisses.

"I bet I can warm you up—" he continues his trail of kisses down to her collarbone. She giggles while his fingers skim her stomach, tickling her effectively.

"Zuko that tickles!" She gasps between breaths. His laugh echoes around her and she knows she will never tire of the sound. He continues his antics by taking her into his arms and flopping down on the bed with her. She laughs loudly without a care of who can hear at this hour, unabashedly herself. It's one of the many, many things he loves about her.

After taking a few moments to settle down, he wraps his arms around her and curls his body to hers. His head falls on her chest.

"Did you miss me, my Queen?" He whispers against her skin. Her chest shakes with her giggle. "Yes my King, I really did miss you. Half the moon cycle is far too long to be away." She strokes his scalp, fingers sifting through his long hair.

"Then I'll never leave you for so long again." He shifts to view her from his position, smiling at her with all of his love. She smiles back, caressing his cheeks and enjoying the moment they have together.

"Have I ever told you how lucky I am to be your husband?" He whispers, leaning into her touch.

She smiles big for him. "Yes. You tell me everyday love."

He closes his eyes. "Good. And I'll keep telling you for the rest of our lives."

She lets out a light chuckle. "I can't wait."

* * *

 _"And I found love where it wasn't supposed to be.  
Right in front of me-"_

I Found - Amber Run

Epilogue complete!  
Just plain ole fluff. Nothing more.  
Yes, I am crazy uncreative when it comes to Zutara baby names so they are all named after a relative. Pease forgive my laziness.

I hope you enjoyed this one :D  
I promise, I'll have more work uploaded soon.  
[I will also be uploading this story to AO3 with some minor adjustments]

Best,  
Durrr.

& REMEMBER:  
No reivews neccessary.  
Just for your enjoyment.


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